Love Changes Everything
by Ziggy Sternenstaub
Summary: A small child throws the lives of Artemis Entreri, Drizzt Do'Urden and Jarlaxle into confusion. Love often treads strange paths. TRANSLATION FROM AUTHOR ELBENSTEIN'S GERMAN LANGUAGE NOVEL.
1. Meetings

Hi, everyone! I'm back to FR again, this time with a very special story I'd like to share on behalf of the original author, Elbenstein, who wrote this story in German. I'll be translating both this story, which runs 17 chapters, and eventually also its sequel. I'm hoping to publish one chapter per week.

Warning: This story eventually contains slash.

isclaimer: Jarlaxle, Artemis Entreri and Drizzt Do'Urden belong to R.A. Salvatore. All additional characters were invented by Elbenstein.

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**Love Changes Everything**

**By Elbenstein**

_Translated by Ziggy Sternenstaub_

**Chapter 1: Meetings**

Blue light flared furiously as Drizzt's hate-filled enemy, the assassin and bounty-hunter Artemis Entreri, moved slowly towards the drow; Entreri had drawn his glowing sword with his right hand, and his jewelled dagger with the left. The two warriors circled slowly as they stared at one another with glittering eyes.

"We meet again, Drizzt Do'Urden!" Entreri taunted his opponent.

Rather than answering Drizzt was watching the space over Entreri's shoulder, for there stood the cunning mercenary Jarlaxle, the drow who five years ago had lured Drizzt into the Crystal Tower, there to fight his final fight against Artemis. Back then the ranger had co-operated for the sake of himself and his friends, though he had neither wanted to see or fight the assassin again, busy as the drow had been trying to free the world from a threat. That final fight between the two warriors had demanded tremendous mental and spiritual sacrifices from them both, yet it was precisely those sacrifices that had allowed the two enemies to rid themselves of a great deal of their mutual resentment.

More respect than hatred lay in their eyes now. Even if Drizzt and Artemis denied their brutal battle with wild passion, there was one thing about which Drizzt could not lie, and that was the fact that Artemis had wanted to die that long ago day. The assassin had warned his archenemy with a single scream, and then came the end—yet that end had been different than either had expected. Drizzt had been mortally wounded, and Artemis had believed that his opponent was no longer amongst the living. Yet with cunning and trickery Jarlaxle had proved one thing: that the assassin was inferior to Drizzt Do'Urden—and it was exactly that same cunning drow who now leaned casually against a shadowy tree to watch the two adversaries with anticipation, seeing that they were once again facing off for battle.

The assassin's dagger hand raised suddenly to strike, and Drizzt instinctively fell into a squat, where he raised up his twin scimitars, anticipating that the Artemis would throw his dagger. Yet rather than doing this, Entreri took a step forward towards the dark elf, even as a broad smile appeared on the man's unfeeling face, and Drizzt immediately realised that the man had never planned to follow through with his manoeuvre. The dark elf did not hesitate to advance two steps toward the assassin's sword, where the drow's scimitars began their own flowing dance.

"Are you nervous, Drizzt Do'Urden? Of course you are! That is the weakness in your heart, the weakness of your passion! This is our fight!" the assassin sneered again, and struck the extended blade of blue light with his own sword.

Drizzt attacked with a skillful cross strike and lifted a scimitar to Entreri's belt, forcing Artemis to pull in his stomach and take a step back. The assassin's grey eyes glittered with the desire to attack in turn when he suddenly paused; Drizzt's movement's froze as well, both opponents now watching the nearby edge of the forest.

A young woman who was crying for help had run into the clearing and stood abruptly still as she caught sight of the three figures, and even Jarlaxle transformed his ever-so-casual stance with lightning speed into a tense position, pushing his broad-brimmed hat out of his face as the woman, who had let loose her cry for help only three feet away, sank down into the grass next to the drow. Immediately after, two dozen men armed with pitchforks and shovels appeared out of the woods from behind a row of closely knit trees and stood suddenly still, as if, like the trees, they too were rooted to the ground. Jarlaxle could just make out how the eyes of the wild hoard bulged and their chins fell with the proverbial clap to the ground. The men turned on their heels and soon Drizzt, Artemis and Jarlaxle perceived only wild screaming that quickly faded away into the distance—yet they could clearly make out one word in the vocal confusion: drow.

The crafty mercenary fell into loud laughter, which Artemis ringingly joined as he travelled the ten feet from the campsite to the woman lying on the ground. Drizzt immediately joined him, and the three males exchanged disbelieving glances as the woman lightly moaned. Jarlaxle squatted and kneeled down in the grass, his gaze travelling over the body of the young woman. She had long black hair that clung to her face with sweat; her eyes were closed, and her breathing came in fits and starts. As Jarlaxle's eyes wandered down, he noticed her swollen belly.

"She's pregnant!" he exclaimed, amazed. At the same moment he heard another moan; softly, he took the woman's cold, sweaty hand in his own. "She's not injured," Jarlaxle murmured softly to himself as he watched how the woman was clearly suffering. "Obviously the contractions have begun. We have to get her away from here," he said as he turned to Drizzt and Artemis. Yet the two of them merely stood frozen and bewildered in front of Jarlaxle, holding their weapons in their hands as if readying themselves for a battle.

"Don't stand there like stuffed dummies; help me!" Jarlaxle suddenly screamed at them.

Drizzt was the first of the two fighters to return his scimitars to the sheathes on his belt and kneel down across from Jarlaxle, next to the woman on the ground. Disbelievingly, he glanced first at the mercenary leader, and then at the woman. Drizzt had seen a number of pregnant women in his life, but not yet one lying helplessly on the ground next to him. He simply did not know what to do.

Artemis let his gaze wander about the area and the edge of the forest until he was certain that no one outside of themselves lingered about the clearing. Only then did he return his sword and dagger to his belt.

"What now?" Artemis asked Jarlaxle disbelievingly as he watched the pregnant woman lying before him in the grass. The assassin felt suddenly very out of place.

"We'll bring her to the cave we spent last night in," the former mercenary leader said to Artemis with a voice that was now very firm. "Then we'll see what we can do. Get the horses; we have to hurry!"

If over the last years Entreri had not come to know the clever drow as a friend, and he had not known that Jarlaxle precisely calculated every one of his actions, then the mercenary's words might well have provoked a reaction from the assassin that would have degenerated into a violent confrontation. Instead the assassin watched Drizzt with glittering eyes. "We'll end it later, Drizzt Do'Urden," he growled, and strode quickly to the horses.

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A short time later Jarlaxle, Artemis and Drizzt were riding on a narrow path heading east. Jarlaxle was holding the young woman in front of him in the saddle, trying to gently hold her tight so that she didn't fall off of the horse as she lost consciousness again and again.

"We must hurry!" the drow said with concern to his two companions as he again sped up.

"Where is this cave?" Drizzt asked the cunning dark elf as his own gaze roamed over the area.

"We're almost there," Jarlaxle said, looking now at the ranger who rode next to him. Drizzt had always regarded this drow as underhanded and unpredictable, but he had been amazed more than once by the seemingly unfathomable behaviour of the enigmatic mercenary leader. Jarlaxle had saved Drizzt's life and at the same time had ensured that he would never again have to see his most hated enemy. Yet not more than one hour ago, these two equally skilled enemies, Drizzt Do'Urden and Artemis Entreri, had once again encountered each other in a remote forest clearing.

"We're here!" Jarlaxle called to his two companions, startling Drizzt out of his thoughts. The ranger followed the other drow's finger to small cave not one hundred feet away, somewhat concealed behind some bushes. Drizzt alighted from his horse and secured the reins to a small tree branch before striding over to the still-mounted Jarlaxle.

"Give me the woman," Drizzt instructed the other drow, his arms held up to receive her. Jarlaxle carefully pulled the pregnant female over the side of the horse so that the ranger could hold her fast with both arms. Then the mercenary dismounted from his own horse and caught the young woman's legs. Both drow trod towards the entrance of the cave, one carefully holding the girl under her arms, the other by the legs.

Artemis too sprang down to tie his horse, and his friend's, on another branch. He continued to watch the proceedings with disbelief, shaking his head in time with the actions of the other two.

_What do these drow mean to do?_ he asked himself. The woman was in pain; that was clear, but how could they help her? The assassin had never attended a birthing, and he continued to feel out of place. Still he followed the others without protest into the cave.

"Don't just stand around doing nothing, my friend!" Jarlaxle turned around to regard Entreri with a serious mien as the assassin crossed the threshold. "Go get water; quickly!," the drow said authoritatively. Entreri scowled to his friend's face, but dropped his satchel without further objection and soon disappeared outside behind the bushes. Next Jarlaxle spoke to Drizzt. "Get wood; we need fire. Quickly! Hurry up!" he ordered, watching with worry the young woman lying on the ground in front of him. In the corner of his eye he could still catch a glimpse of another shadow disappearing behind the bushes.

Now the drow set down his own satchel and rustled about inside until he found what he was looking for, pulling out two woollen blankets. One he folded up and lay carefully under the head of the pregnant woman; the second one he laid under her body to protect her weakened form from the cold, hard cave bottom. Next he went to Artemis' satchel and likewise drew forth two blankets, one of which he also laid under the woman's shivering body. Then, as if out of nothingness, Jarlaxle summoned a small knife from his wrist and began to slice the remaining blanket into small, square pieces.

Soon after Drizzt returned to the cave with wood piled under both of his arms. Adroitly and as quickly he could, the ranger ignited a small fire close to the edge of the cave. The flames were already burning when Artemis returned with three burstingly full waterskins over his shoulder; these he let fall to the bottom of the cave.

"We need hot water! Get moving; hurry up!" Jarlaxle snarled at them both. His nonplussed companions jumped, and started off looking visibly nervous. Neither of the two had ever encountered such a situation in either of their lives. Drizzt collided into Artemis' shoulder, and Entreri stared at the drow with menacingly glittering eyes, but abandoned the matter in favour of hauling up the waterskins. At the same time Drizzt desperately riffled through his pack, trying to find his small kettle.

He'd just used it this morning! Why couldn't he find it now? This was all so unusual, and the ranger was feeling more nervous by the minute. Finally he felt the kettle, pulled, it out and called joyfully, "I have it!"

"Good, then go boil the water finally!" Jarlaxle's authoritative voice rang out again. "She's almost ready to give birth. And you bring cold water to me, my friend," he indicated to Artemis.

Entreri did as he was ordered and stood shortly thereafter directly next to the dark elf, who was sitting on the ground next to the young woman, holding her hand. The drow took the waterskin out of the assassin's hand and soaked a small piece of cloth with the cold water, which he laid on the woman's hot forehead.

A situation was unfolding in front of the assassin which he could neither calculate nor control. Everything was unfamiliar and strange. What were they doing here in this cave? What would happen when this woman lying here before him truly brought a child into the world? Jarlaxle was the only one of the tree males who truly had a handle on the situation—or at least he gave the impression that he knew what he was doing. Entreri's most-hated enemy also stood next to him and appeared to be equally deep in thought as he observed the picture being painted before him.

Then a loud scream tore both of them out of their contemplations.

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Everything was happening terribly quickly. The woman was screaming over and over again. Artemis and Drizzt were becoming more and more nervous as they paced excitedly through the cave, and every time their eyes met, each glared menacingly at the other. Yet helplessness was written clearly across both of their faces. Only Jarlaxle tended to the young woman as she went through her contractions.

Endless, waiting minutes seemed to go by.

"The child is coming!" both warriors heard the drow suddenly shout, and both abruptly stopped their pacing. Yet when their gazes met their time, only relief was visible on their faces. Drizzt turned about to regard the pain-riddled countenance of the young woman lying before him on the ground. He wanted so dearly to help her, yet he knew that she must endure this trial alone. So the ranger did the only thing by which he could gain some measure of inner peace, and knelt down on the other side of the woman to hold her hand.

"Don't just stand around like you've grown roots," Jarlaxle said to Entreri. "Help us!"

Before Entreri could so much as blink, his friend's hand had pulled him down to the ground so that he knelt directly in front of the woman. Entreri stared down with bulging eyes. There it was, right in front of his knees: a tiny infant child.

"Cut the umbilical cord," he heard Jarlaxle's voice again. "Go on; get to it!" But Entreri could not understand what his friend wanted from him. A baby was lying in front him, a tiny, screaming creature. What could he accomplish in such a situation? He belonged in battle, not in this cave!

"Take your dagger and cut the umbilical cord!" Jarlaxle instructed him once more. Entreri lifted his head, finally able to look into his friend's dark gaze. Jarlaxle truly meant what he said.

Quick as a whip, Entreri drew his dagger and cut clean.

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I'm sure that the author would love any comments you have to share, and I'll make sure that they all get to her.

Any comments or suggestions about my translation I would of course welcome.


	2. An Unexpected Turn

**Chapter 2: An Unexpected Turn**

Artemis stood at the entrance of the cave and observed that the sun had already begun to set. The three unwilling companions had spent the entire day with the woman who had given birth three hours before. Artemis was asking himself now more than ever what was going to happen next, though he had agreed with Jarlaxle that they would bring the young mother to the next settlement. After all, she was very weak from the birthing, and could not return to her own village. Carima (as she had introduced herself to her three helpers) had told them that she had been chased out of her home because she had betrayed her lawful husband and carried the child of another man--the most terrible crime a woman could commit in these times. The village community had instigated a trial and decided that the woman was to be banished, which had lead to Carmina running blindly through the small wood towards the clearing where she had collapsed from exhaustion. Yet the young mother had had more luck than she then could have hoped for. She was more than grateful to the three companions.

As Artemis turned around, Carmina was lying asleep on the ground, the infant sleeping at her breast. Jarlaxle was still sitting next to the woman, holding her hand. He seemed to be just as exhausted as the young mother. Entreri looked directly nto his friend's eyes with respect. The drow was the only one who had taken control of the sitiuation, and Entreri was thankful to him for that. Now Artemis nodded shortly to him, then turned back around to stride away through the bushes and out into the twilit night.

Jarlaxle knew that his friend didn't had the slightest idea how to deal with such events as had taken place in the cave, and the drow let the assassin go without attempting to draw him into conversation.

"I'll go with you," Drizzt suddenly said to the other dark elf. Jarlaxle had completely forgotten about his other helper, but now the drow glanced to the side and looked into the lavender eyes of the ranger who sat leaning against the wall of the cave's other side.

"I'll go with you; when we reach the next village, I'll go my own way," Drizzt said.

Jarlaxle only nodded. _Perhaps that is a good idea_, the drow thought to himself. Drizzt's name was well-known and highly respected in this area, and would prevent any difficulties from arising when they brought the young mother and her child into the next settlement.

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As the night slowly bowed to the dawn, a sound penetrated Artemis' ear.

"Carmina?" he heard Drizzt whisper. "Carmina?" came the question a second time.

Entreri opened his eyes and straightened up to see that it was already getting brighter outside. Sleepily, he turned his head in the same direction from which he had heard the ranger's words. Yet what was offered there to his eyes was not what he wanted to see. Drizzt was bending over Carmina, shaking her shoulders. The young mother was no longer moving. Her face was pale, and her entire body lay limply on the ground. Jarlaxle was holding the infant child in his arms, looking very awkward, and staring at the young woman alongside the others. Artemis did not need to be told; he knew that Carmina was not longer with them.

"Carmina?" He again heard the ranger's desperate voice. Entreri stood up and walked over. It was suddenly a strange sensation for this man to see the dead young woman lying before him. He couldn't explain to himself why, but he regretted the death. Artemis felt that the woman had not earned this fate, and as he moved closer, he could even recognise a smile on Carmina's pale face. She died hoping for a better world, and confident that her daughter's life would be better than her own.

Artemis could not explain why, but deep inside he grieved for Carmina.

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Several minutes passed as became brighter outside, and the three companions remained bent over Carmina's dead body.

"I'll have to dig a deep hole to lay Carmina in, so that she escapes the wolves," Drizzt suddenly, firmly announced to both of his companions.

At the same time the infant suddenly started screaming. Artemis glanced at Jarlaxle, who still carried little Diana (as her mother had named her) on his arm. His friend regarded Entreri helplessly; neither one of them knew what they should do. The young woman was dead, and they were left with the baby.

"Diana will starve without something to feed her," Artemis said, unexpectedly turning to Drizzt. Yet the ranger said nothing, nor did he move. He seemed to be completely frozen in place. He mourned for this woman who had appeared so entirely out of the blue to them just yesterday. Together with Jarlaxle, Drizzt had spent the entire night at the woman's side, and he did not want to believe that she had lost this battle.

Several more quiet moments had gone by when Drizzt unexpectedly shot to his feet. "The body is still warm!" he said, and tore Diana out of Jarlaxle's arms. "Carmina's breasts are still filled with warm milk. She must drink!" he continued.

Carefully, he laid the infant on Carmina's breast, so that the child could reach the nipples. Immediately, she began to suck, and the ranger turned around to gaze into the eyes of both of his companions. Both nodded at him as he proceeded out of the cave.

The drow fought his way through the bushes and looked around. He wanted to find a place where Carmina could enjoy her final rest, a spot where no one would ever disturb her. Wildly and seemingly endlessly, he ran through the surrounding area until he finally found an appropriate resting place. Drizzt swallowed and overcame the sheer, irresistible yearning to simply sit down on the ground and cry. Then he began to dig.

The work did him good. He pulled up clumps of earth with his bare hands, and sweat ran down his forehead until he stood in a man-deep hole. The first time that he looked up, the sun had nearly set. Drizzt had been digging up earth all day, and exhaustion was written all over his face when he went back into the cave. Jarlaxle had Diana in his arms, while Artemis had already wrapped Carmina in a woollen blanket. Both looked up as their companion walked towards them.

"It's ready," Drizzt reported in a trembling voice, at which point Artemis lifted Carmina's corpse off of the ground and followed the ranger. Jarlaxle followed Entreri in turn, holding the child in his arms.

Barely fifty feet from the entrance to the cave, the little group stopped to stand at the gaping hole. The sun had just disappeared behind the horizon, and stars bathed the small plateau in soft light.

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Pleeeeeeeeeease comment. I know that the author would love to you know what you think of her story, and of course any comments on my translation would be entirely welcome as well.


	3. Feelings part 1

I apologise for the wait. First Christmas craziness happened, and then I went on an unexpected holiday. I have chosen this time to post a half chapter, because part 3 is rather long, and I wanted everyone to be able to read again sooner rather than later. The second half should be ready in a half a week.

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**Chapter 3a: Feelings**

The small group composed of two dark elves, one man, and the tiny infant child would surely have looked strange, if not comical, to the inhabitants of Faerun, yet it continued forward in the darkness. Directly after the three companions had buried the mother, they had broken camp and disappeared into the night. Now only the moon and stars hung above them.

Perched on his horse, Jarlaxle lead his friend and the ranger, who rode directly behind him with little Diana. Drizzt had wrapped his cloak around his body in such a way that a small hollow had formed directly over his breast; it was here that the infant had found a place for herself, while Artemis took up a careful rearguard behind them.

The companions had given themselves the task of bringing the child into the next settlement as quickly as possible, that they might finally part ways. Artemis' hatred for Drizzt seemed to have waned over the past five years, and he seldomly thought of it anymore. He had finally escaped his obsession and all of the feelings that went with it, or so he thought. Nevertheless, what had happened two days before—that he had once again looked into the lavender eyes of his greatest opponent—once again fed the flames of every terrible thing he had ever felt for this drow. Likewise, the assassin needed to have a serious word with his friend Jarlaxle, just as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Entreri was of a mind to slip his own dagger though the cunning dark elves ribs, if only because the mercenary had allowed Entreri to believe for years that the ranger was dead. The assassin had always wanted to defeat Drizzt, to show that world that he was the better fighter—and yet here stood the drow before him once again, exactly as he remembered him!

While Entreri lost himself in his memories, the ranger did the same.

"We can rest here," Jarlaxle's voice tore both of them from their thoughts. They had already ridden sleeplessly the whole night through this isolated area, and Jarlaxle's suggestion sounded like a well-earned breath of fresh air to both adversaries. And even though little Diana seemed to be deeply asleep, none of them wanted to strain the infant too severely. All three companions alighted from their horses and sat down in a half-circle that directly touched the edge of the path. They also did not want to light a fire, for fear of uninvited guests. In this fashion, they silently rested an hour, each sunk deeply into his thoughts, before deciding to resume the journey.

The sun had just risen in the east when little Diana, resting in Drizzt's arms, began to incessantly scream. Jarlaxle, who had been riding beside Drizzt since they had ended their short rest, looked over at the infant. "She could be hungry," the other drow said to Drizzt, who nodded in agreement. "We need milk," Jarlaxle continued.

"Of course, but where will we get it?" Drizzt asked him, an inquiry which the other dark elf could only answer with a shrug.

"Didn't we pass a herd of goats a mile back?" Artemis asked his two companions, joining in the conversation.

The scales fell from Jarlaxle's eyes in that moment. His friend was right. Goats produced milk, and milk was exactly what they needed!

"Let's go and get a goat," Drizzt said firmly while turning his horse in the opposite direction.

"Stop!" Jarlaxle threw in suddenly. "Don't you think it would be better to approach the goat herd without Diana? Her crying won't help us."

"True," was the ranger's quick, clipped answer, and all three companions exchanged questioning glances.

"I have it," the voice of the cunning drow mercenary broke into their calculations. "We'll make camp here. Two of us will get the goat, and one will look after the child."

In agreement, they dismounted from their horses and disappeared behind a few bushes off of the road. Just as Entreri turned to face his two companions, his eyes widened, seeing Drizzt striding directly toward him , holding little Diana in his arms, her body wrapped up in his green woollen cloak.

"Here, you hold her," the ranger said, pressing the little bundle into Artemis' arms. Shocked, the assassin flinched.

"Don't let her fall!" Drizzt ordered threateningly, but Entreri only heard his voice at a distance as the drow disappeared into the bushes with Jarlaxle, and the assassin's eyes still stared disbelievingly at the infant child in his arms. What was he to do now? He felt strange even to himself. The whole business was so surprising that he could only stand, astonished, on the spot.

Little Diana had quite suddenly ceased to scream. Luckily they would not be bothered by uninvited guests, as long as the child remained quiet, Artemis thought.

He slowly circled around the grass that extended back from the bushes next to the path. Every time that he passed the horses, he looked to the direction in which his companions had a short time ago vanished, and he wished nothing more passionately than they appear once more before him. In the meantime, the minutes seemed to him like hours as he watched the sun move slowly to the south, and Artemis became ever more restless. What he to do with this child if his friend and the ranger did not return? But these thoughts he immediately discarded. There was no reason to simply abandon him with Diana, and their horses and their packs had been left in the temporary camp. Nevertheless, this inner disquietude would simply not let Entreri be. He decided to sit down in the shadows.

Now the man sat leaning against the trunk of an old oak tree whose branches stretched high above him. Artemis had bent his legs to form a hollow in which the bundled infant now lay. His unease had somewhat retreated as he had begun to observe the small child in his lap: how it lay there so quietly, staring at him with open green eyes. He wondered if Diana could actually recognise him. The consideration prompted entirely different thoughts to start racing through his head, thoughts that forced his mind back to an earlier time, to his own childhood.

Artemis too had never known his mother. She had died—as Diana's had—at the birthing. As a child Artemis' father had always given him the feeling that the fault for the death lay with the boy himself, and the man had taken out the anger inspired by the death of his wife on his son. When Artemis was nine, he had finally found the courage to run away from home. His journey had first brought him to a caravan, but he had been forced to flee from there as a well, that he might escape a fate of slavery. But with his mere nine years, fate had then wrapped him up in the streets of Calimport, and through cunning and persuasion he found a new family, the Basadoni Guild, in which he quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the most feared assassins in all of Faerun.

"She's not crying at all anymore," Jarlaxle's voice rang in Artemis' ear, and Entreri was abruptly torn from him thoughts. He looked up to see his friend standing before him, smiling mischievously.

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Hope you're still enjoying!


	4. Feelings part 2

The second half of the chapter, due right on schedule! After this I'm going back to one full chapter a week. Enjoy!

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****Chapter 3b: Feelings**

"We have a goat," a voice came from the side. As Artemis turned his head around, he saw Drizzt and how he was pulling a goat on a rope behind him before securing it to a small branch on a bush.

"I'll take care of the milk now, but we need something feed the child with," the ranger continued. "Once, years ago, I saw a woman dipping a cloth in the milk so that her child could suck on it."

"But we only have the rest of the woollen blanket. I hardly think that it's the proper material to feed a child with," Jarlaxle contributed. He tapped his right index finger against his lips and seemed to think the matter over, while Entreri looked again at the infant who lay calmly in his lap.

"I have it!" Jarlaxle's joyous voice rang out. "Artemis, take off your shirt."

"What?" answered Entreri, dumbfounded.

"Your shirt is made of linen. Come on; do it. We'll cut it into pieces: one piece to feed the child, and the rest to make diapers. Or do you think we're going to peek at you?" Jarlaxle said, letting loose a full-throated laugh, in which Drizzt soon joined.

Artemis growled, finding nothing funny about the situation, but he did not particularly wish to resist the request. He stood up and held out the bundled infant to his friend. The drow hesitantly took it into his arms, looking suddenly very awkward. Now it was Entreri's turn to be amused; he grinned right into Jarlaxle's face, taking great pleasure from his friend's discomfort. Then Entreri opened the buttons of his black leather coat until something white finally made an appearance. First he shrugged out of his jacket, letting it fall onto the ground before him. Then he dragged his white shirt over his head to stand bare-chested before his two companions; he passed his shirt to Drizzt.

For his own part, the ranger had to fight against a burgeoning, strange feeling as he looked upon the naked torso of his travelling companion: the steel-hard muscles of the man's arms, the muscular stomach. He found the sight very provocative. Drizzt didn't know what was so suddenly wrong with him, but he could not move his gaze from that body. In that moment he would have given anything to be allowed to stretch his hand forward and touch the breast of his most hated enemy. He tried to remind himself that this was Artemis Entreri whom he so suddenly desired: the man who had held up the mirror to shown him his darkest soul in so many countless battles; the man who had brutally tortured and almost killed Drizzt's friend Regis; the man who could thrust his dagger into a beating heart without so much as batting an eyelash.

Yet as soon as he thought of these things, he was reminded of the last two days. Artemis was Jarlaxle's friend: that cunning drow who never so simply treated anyone as a true friend, yet Drizzt had observed that the two truly behaved as friends. And if he were completely honest, then he would have to admit to himself that Artemis seemed to be another person. Even the fact that, not more than a day before, the man had so thoughtfully carried Carmina on his arm, or how carefully he had held Diana on his lap, showed a change.

Had the man really become a completely different person? In the five years since their last encounter, a transformation must have taken place in Artemis. Perhaps it was these observations and the insight that had arisen from them that had inspired this sudden desire for the man.

"Drizzt?" a voice rang suddenly in Drizzt's ear, tearing him from his thoughts.

"Didn't you want to take care of the milk?" Artemis asked him coolly as the ranger glanced up again. Entreri had already pulled on his leather coat; inside, the drow wished nothing more than to be able to glance at the man's naked torso.

"Drizzt?" he heard his name again. "What's wrong?"

The dark elf gave a short shake of his head and then looked directly into Artemis' green eyes. The drow tried to free himself once and for all from his thoughts.

"I was just thinking of Carmina," he quickly lied. No one was going to find out what was happening with him now. Unhesitatingly, Drizzt turned around and walked over to the goat that stood tied up and bleating barely ten metres away. He felt the shirt in his right hand and would have preferred never to have let it go again, but he could not think of himself now. Little Diana needed her milk.

The ranger opened his satchel; pulled the kettle out with his left hand, and immediately began to milk the goat. Out of the corner of his eye, he jealously regarded the shirt that lay directly behind him. Nearby, he heard Artemis' voice as he said to his friend, "You're getting me a new shirt," before both voices tumbled into loud laughter.

* * *

Drizzt leaned up against the trunk of the great oak tree as Artemis had done barely a quarter of an hour before, and held little Diana in his arms. Jarlaxle sat next to him, holding the water kettle filled with goat milk. Rather than joining them in the feeding, Entreri had left to hunt for something edible. The three companions had come to the decision to spent the rest of the day on the spot, and ride further in the night.

Drizzt dipped a corner of Artemis' cut-up shirt into the milk, then held the cloth in front of Diana's mouth so that she might suck the milk away.

"The ranger Drizzt Do'Urden has many hidden talents," Jarlaxle remarked, just as the child began to suddenly and loudly scream.

"Or perhaps not?" came Drizzt's answer.

"I'd be scared, too, if I saw that patch and that hat," Artemis' joyous voice rang in the air just as he walked out from behind the bushes. The ranger was just barely able to hide his smile.

"My friend," Jarlaxle said, wanting to immediately retort. Instead he asked, "Already back?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Drizzt could observe them both, and saw broad grins on each face. It simply must be as the ranger had thought. Artemis had become another person, and the drow that sat near him in the grass couldn't be entirely innocent of the transformation.

"Can someone put a stop to that screaming?" Drizzt overheard soon after Entreri's question, as the man moved away from his companions and into the shadow of the great oak tree. Drizzt clearly recognised the wryness in Entreri's voice as the man continued, "Diana will soon be gracing our trusted home with uninvited guests."

"Then take the child yourself," the ranger answered sarcastically, now standing and looking his once-enemy in the eye. Artemis met and held his gaze. It was then that Drizzt realised that he could no longer see a hostile spark in the man's grey eyes. His face showed only an honest smile, and not the steel-hard of expression of the dark, treacherous soul he had once been. Entreri had never seriously meant his question, Drizzt realised, feeling suddenly ashamed.

"Give her to me," Jarlaxle interjected, recognising the tension between his friend and the other drow. At the same time, Drizzt turned his head and carefully pressed the small bundle into the other dark elf's arms.

Jarlaxle had not actually planned to carry the tiny infant, especially since he did not know how to properly hold the child so that it did not slip out of his arms. That Diana was now screaming even more loudly certainly did not help the former mercenary leader.

"It's the eye-patch at the hat after all, my friend," Artemis smiled at Jarlaxle.

"Here, then you take her," the drow answered, annoyed, and immediately pressed the infant into Entreri's arms. Diana quite suddenly quieted down until she soon ceased to scream entirely. Artemis said nothing while both dark elves broke out into loud laughter.


	5. Jealousy Part 1

My apologies for the ridiculously long delay. Life has been crap recently, and I've had no motivation, but I am now once again on the job. Except the other half of this chapter in a few days.

**Chapter 4a: Jealousy**

That night the three companions put almost twenty five miles behind them. The ranger no longer carried little Diana in front of him on the horse; instead Artemis too had wrapped his cloak around himself to form a small hollow in which the infant lay. The child slept quietly as they left one mile after the next behind them, while the desire to protect this fragile and innocent creature slowly overcame Artemis. Since had he had held the child in his lap that morning and thought on his own childhood, he had wanted to shelter the baby. Perhaps it was a trick of Fate. He was getting old; the years had passed him by so quickly that he had never contemplated what his later future might bring. Yet five years ago, when he had thrown himself in adventure with the former mercenary leader, his age had finally made itself known to him. His speed had decreased, though thankfully not his skill, while Jarlaxle remained the same. His appearance was still that of a good-looking drow, and his fighting skill was unchanged.

Drizzt too was lost in thought. He did not like it at all that his former archenemy held the child, though he had to admit to himself that Diana had not screamed since Artemis had taken her. Did the baby _like_ Entreri? Drizzt shook his head to banish this thought from his mind. Regardless of this, the man continued to clatter about in his thoughts. Not as before, but in a completely new and different way that the ranger could not explain to himself. Again he experienced the wish to touch Artemis' naked, well trained upper body, to wander over the steelhard muscles with his hands, and the feeling became strong the longer his thoughts lingered.

"The sun's coming up; we can stop here!" Jarlaxle's voice interrupted Drizzt and Entreri's thoughts, and both looked up with surprise to see a small wood rising up in front of them. Not far from the trees, a small stream flowed next to the path. The three companions dismounted from their horses and lead them somewhat to the side of road, behind the first row of trees.

"Here we'll we spared from curious eyes," Jarlaxle thought. "What do you think?" As he turned in his companions' direction, he saw agreeing nods.

"Give me Diana so you can take a rest," Drizzt said, approaching Entreri.

"Of course," Entreri answered dryly. Though the contrary tone was well concealed, it did not escape Jarlaxle. Could it be that Entreri liked the child? Had Diana awoken in him something like affection? The drow liked the thought and had to silently laugh. It had also not escaped Jarlaxle that his friend had recently become increasingly restless. Artemis was searching for something without even knowing what was missing. Perhaps it was the goodwill of another creature, or perhaps even love. The man was becoming older, more mature; he could not conceal it and Jarlaxle had observed the fact of it for some time.

* * *

Artemis, Entreri and Drizzt--who held little Diana on his lap--rested in the shadow of the great trees. The sun stood at its zenith.

"I need some sunshine," Entreri reported suddenly, pulling himself up from the moss-covered forest floor.

Jarlaxle did not react, continuing to lean against a tree trunk with a closed left eye. Today the drow was wearing the eye-patch over his right eye. He'd pulled his broad-brimmed hat over his face and appeared to be sleeping. But Entreri knew better: the drow would be ready for a fight in less time than it took to count to one.

Drizzt sat only a few feet away and was looking at Entreri. "I'll come with you," his voice sounded suddenly. He stood up too, moving more carefully than usual in order to hold the bundle still in front of his stomach.

"Whatever you like," was Entreri's dry reaction.

Both took only a few strides before leaving the shadow of the trees to stand next to the narrow stream. Small and large stones lined the flow of water and sunlight reflected off the surface. Drizzt sat right down in the grass, taking the bundled child off and setting it down next to him. He used his body to continue providing Diana with shade.

Entreri on the other hand did something that completely shook Drizzt's composure. Artemis slowly unbuttoned his leather jacket and just as slowly took it off. The muscles of his stomach moved playfully as he stretched his upper body and let himself fall immediately into the grass. Drizzt quickly tried to turn his gaze to Diana, while he continued to observe the man out of the corner of his eye. The ranger felt as though he were blushing and fervently hoped that the man did not notice. He simply could not understand his new feeling. He'd only experienced such a physical attraction once before in his life, and that had been for Catti-Brie.

But that woman was now totally out of his reach. What the drow had considered impossible only two years ago had indeed occurred. A new man had appeared in the life of his best friend. As had happened many years ago between her and Wulgar and her, Drizzt had found himself again in the background of the new relationship, but this time with consequences. Drizzt had not been able to handle the pain of his broken heart, and a terrible fight had flamed up between him and Catti-Brie. The consequence had been that the ranger had given himself over to new and lonely travels away from the woman who, since their very first encounter, had solidly planted herself deep in Drizzt's heart.

As he now saw Artemis before him, peacefully lying in the grass with closed eyes, Drizzt again sat down to take muster of the attractive body. Perhaps it was the painful memories of his friend that were causing him to feel so drawn to the man. He had know him now for fifteen years and Drizzt thought of him more than seldomly. It was probably the untouchable nature of both people who haunted his thoughts that was prompting this attraction, Drizzt said to himself. He did not know, and at the same time, watching Artemis, he did not care.

* * *

In this manner the afternoon went by quickly. As the sun slowly wandered toward the south, Diana's screams tore Artemis out of his well-earned sleep. He opened his eyes and turned his body over towards the little wood. Drizzt was in the process of milking the goat while Jarlaxle was holding the child in his arms. Entreri almost would have laughed, for the manner in which his drow friend held the baby still looked grotesque, as if the baby were something dangerous.

Artemis stood up and briefly stretched to shake the sleep from his limbs before going over to his two travelling companions. As he went he slipped on his leather jacket. Then he stood before Jarlaxle and grinned at him.

"Here, you take her," Jarlaxle's voice rang in Drizzt's ears as the other drow spoke to Entreri. At that moment he wanted to spring up and say that he wanted to hold Diana, but he reconsidered at the last moment. He was jealous of Artemis. Could it really be? But the infant seemed to truly like the man. Whatever effect he had on the child, as soon as she lay in his arms she settled down and not a minute later the screaming stopped.

"She really likes you," Drizzt said then, turning in Artemis' direction. As he spoke, he tried to swallow his jealousy so that he did not start a new fight. It seemed to the ranger that he had succeeded, for neither of the other two responded with any noticeable commentary.


	6. Jealousy Part 2

**Chapter 4b: Jealousy**

In the afternoon the three companions rested in their quiet place in the shadow of the trees. Drizzt had closed his eyes and appeared to be sleeping. He did not notice that Jarlaxle was steadily observing him out of the corner of his eye. The drow had his own thoughts today about the two fighters. He had known them both only as shining contestants in a battle to determine who was the best fighter, rather than in such a peaceful situation. Jarlaxle thought that several days ago, Artemis had shown for the first time in their long friendship that his resentment of the ranger might well had disappeared for good. Was it truly this tiny infant child who had brought such soft feelings to Entreri's surface? He wanted to keep a watchful eye over both of them. His thoughts lingered on the grandiose fight in the crystal tower, the one he had organised himself. So too did his thoughts linger of that conversation with Drizzt, the son of Zaknafein, his once-friend. How similar father and son were.

As Jarlaxle dwelt on the past and recalled important details to his memory, he considered the ranger, more casually than attentively. Only when Drizzt moved and awoke did the drow realise that he had been staring at his companion the entire time. Discretely, he moved his gaze away.

Later that evening, Diana was fed. The three companions, too, had eaten, and were once again on the way. This time Drizzt carried the bundle in front of him while Artemis rode at his side. Jarlaxle, who made up the rear guard, observed the two closely. A new battle was arising between the two adversaries. This time they were not fighting to prove their strength, but rather fighting over the child. He could certainly imagine such a stir of emotion in the ranger, but not from Entreri. It seemed that he had suddenly taken the baby into his heart. Jarlaxle smiled.

This night, too, went by quietly and without incident, other than that they had to give Diana her milk now and again. The next morning, shortly before sunrise, they reached a sign. It pointed to the west and told them that the next settlement was only five miles away. Unerringly, they rode further, and after an hour a weather-beaten sign pointed to the entrance of the village, only one hundred feet away.

"Wenta," Jarlaxle read aloud to his companions. "Let's go!" he shouted, wanting to immediately urge his horse onwards.

"Stop!" Drizzt threw in. "We should think of a plan before we simply march into this village with Diana!"

Artemis nodded in agreement and said, "Drizzt is right. We cannot-I can't and you can't-walk into this place and simply give them an infant."

Jarlaxle answered with a shrug of his shoulders and guided his horse back onto the path they had come from.

Only eight hundred feet away the three companions found a hiding place where they could protect themselves from curious eyes. A thick evergreen tree gave them the necessary coverage.

"What's your plan?" Jarlaxle asked curiously as he dismounted from his horse. But no one answered him. Instead, an eerie silence grew between the three companions; only the songs of the birds could be heard. Everyone seemed to be lost deeply in his own thoughts.

Drizzt sat on the forest floor with Diana on his lap while Artemis paced a thoughtful circle within they hiding place. Jarlaxle learned comfortably against a treetrunk and watched his two comrades.

Suddenly Entreri stopped and spoke calmly, "I looked at the houses as we approached the entrance to the village. They looked truly old and wretched. Should Diana truly grow up in such circumstances?" he asked the small company.

"I'll accompany you both to the next village; we'll give her to the villagers there," Drizzt responded, looking down at the baby.

Then the ranger and Artemis looked into each other's eyes and nodded in agreement before turning they heads to the drow who still sat casually against the tree trunk.

"Whatever you think," Jarlaxle answered indifferently, pulling his broad-brimmed hat down over his face. "I'm going to stop for a bit first."

"Good idea," responded Artemis. "But Diana should be taken care of first," he continued.

Had Drizzt heard incorrectly, or had these words truly come from the man who thought of no one and nothing but himself? The ranger attempted to keep his composure and acted as if Entreri had said nothing-but the worried tone in his friend's voice did not escape Jarlaxle. Last night he had come to the conclusion that the two were fighting a new battle, this time over who would be allowed to care for the child. It seemed paradoxical to him, but two days before a transformation had taken place in Artemis that even he, the former mercenary leader, could not explain. He, who was always two steps ahead of the others. The thought that his friend could cross over into a better life was not far, or was it? A smile shot across his face, but it escaped his two companions, who were currently busy taking care of little Diana.

As late evening set in, they swung themselves back onto their horses, Artemis having bound the little bundle before him in which Diana lay. Drizzt rode closely next to him, because he thought that the man could not take enough care of the baby. But instead he observed how Entreri continued to pay attention to the infant that slept in the little hollow before him. Drizzt could not shake the feeling that *he* should have Diana in front of him, and not this dangerous man-and that did not escape Jarlaxle. The ranger could feel the other's eyes in his back. He knew that this drow was friend to Artemis Entreri and that he probably trusted him. The last encounter with the assassin was now five years in the past. Five long years in which much had occurred. Could he trust the dark elf? Jarlaxle was always thinking to his own advantage, and this attitude had scarcely changed, but now he was friends with the most terrible enemy from Drizzt's past.

Drizzt' inner battle-to trust Artemis in the matter of Diana-lasted the entire night, during which he could increasingly see that Artemis truly did seem to take care of the child. On the other hand, Artemis' thoughts during the ride through the darkness churned over his own past. Yes, he had decided to give a better future to the small creature sleeping on his breast. Diana should not experience what poverty and hunger meant, nor what it meant never to be loved. And another thought shot suddenly through his head: if they did not succeed in finding the child a family who would love her as they would their own daughter, then he would be there for Diana. Yet he pushed this consideration far in the back of his mind-it should represent the last option in his inner battle.

* * *

Long before the sun rose, the three travelling companions had stopped to rest. Not only to take care of the small, screaming girl, who was hungry, but also because they had reached the next village. While Drizzt again held the small child on his arm, this time it was Artemis who handed the ranger the small water kettle filled with milk, so that the infant could be fed. A smile spread across Jarlaxle's face, for his companions looked so at peace with themselves. At the same time it was a strange picture, observing the infamous assassin and the equally well-known Drizzt Do'Urden in such a harmonious scene. His grin became ever-broader and he almost broke out into full-throated laughter.

Shortly thereafter the same discussion from the day before broke out and Drizzt and Artemis out-voted Jarlaxle. The decision was to try in the next village. The drow could not shake the feeling that the two companions did not want to separate from the child, but he kept this feeling to himself. He recognised that Diana could find no better protectors than Drizzt Do'Urden, Artemis Entreri and his own humble self.

After the sun had risen in the east, Jarlaxle again laid down in the shadow of a tree and let the day go by. Drizzt did the same, keeping a watchful eye on the infant, while Artemis had gone into the settlement before them in order to stock up on supplies. After an hour he came back with a near to bursting sattlebag, looking very pleased with himself. Jarlaxle could imagine what had brought such a smile to his friend's face. Like those before it, the village seemed very poor, and so they could be keeping the child with them for at least one day longer.

As the sun announced the coming of afternoon, it was again Artemis who pulled off his jacket again stood with a naked upper body in the middle of the three companions. At first Drizzt did not realise it, for his gaze rested next to him on Diana. Yet as he turned his head to Artemis, it felt as it he had been hit by lightning. How terribly he desired to touch this body. The ranger still had the rest of Entreri's shirt. His hand slid over to unobserved over to his rucksack and opened it. He acted as though he were looking for something while touching the linen that, some days ago, had still belonged to Artemis' shirt. A wave of passion sparked inside of him as his finger slowly stroked over the material and he wished nothing more than just once to touch the man's naked flesh, the flesh that had awakened these feelings inside of him.

As Drizzt was thinking this, Artemis was making himself comfortable in the sun, lying himself down in the soft green grass. He closed his eyes, rested his hands under his head and experienced an eerie feeling of happiness. They were going to keep little Diana for at least another day. This was the time in which he could watch over the child. When he could contribute to making sure that she had a better future than he had had. The thought calmed him and sent him into a deep and refreshing sleep.

The smell of cooked meat woke Artemis from his sleep. He deeply inhaled the scent and opened his eyes, then stretched his arms and slowly sat up. Drizzt was in the process of preparing a rabbit over the fire while Jarlaxle sat a little to the side with Diana in his arms. Suddenly the drow no longer looked quite so helpless, resembling more a family scene in which a grandfather would proudly and joyfully hold a child on his arm. Entreri had to smile.

"Hmm, I'm getting hungry," Artemis suddenly said into the silence of his companions. At the same time Drizzt and Jarlaxle turned their heads to the man sitting in the grass.

"Slept enough?" his friend asked.

"I've never slept better," Entreri answered, laughing inside.

"Then you can give Diana her milk," he heard Jarlaxle say, as Artemis sat up and stretched again. Out of the corner of his eye, Drizzt observed the body of the man who stood only feet away from him-but the other drow's words tore him out of his daydreaming. He didn't want Entreri to feed Diana, for then Artemis would most likely hold her before him on his horse through the night. Yes, the ranger was jealous. He did not want a former assassin to take care of such a tiny, innocent creature, even when he had to admit that the years had changed the man a great deal. But Drizzt tried to swallow his ire; only the glitter of his eyes betrayed his displeasure.

So passed the rest of afternoon relatively peacefully, as the ranger instinctively pulled back from the others, while his eyes cautiously rested on Artemis as the man held little Diana on his arm. Still the fact that shook Drizzt's composure more than any other was the eerie attraction of the man, which worked on him like a magnet. He was still 'Artemis Entreri' to the drow; the very name recalled earlier fury. But now he was a man like himself, with a well-cared-for outer appearance, and attractive to boot. His long black hair fell over his shoulders and played about the pleasant facial features in the light of the setting sun.

* * *

I hope that you're still enjoying the story, and please leave your comments for the author. She is enjoying them very much!


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